Chapter 21 Eva #2
He shakes his head, keeping his stare fixed on me. A simple stare in the middle of this busy street leaves me questioning everything in my life.
How his stare evokes this unwanted emotion inside of me.
How his smirk makes me want to slide beneath him and demand he take all of me.
How his smile, the most beautiful of smiles, fills my heart with this fullness, I can’t even begin to explain.
“Now, will you be my plus-one for tonight?”
“I don’t have anything to wear,” I remind him.
Aston reaches into his pocket and pulls out a plastic card. “This is for the Plaza. You have a room waiting with a stylist, hairstylist, and makeup artist. I’ll pick you up in one hour.”
I stare at the key in shock. Then, I realize one hour is a short amount of time.
“One hour?” I complain, crossing my arms. “You do know it takes a girl longer than that to get ready.”
“Hurry up, then,” he urges with a grin. “The clock is ticking.”
Aston opens the back door of the Mercedes and motions for me to slide in. The car has a driver who so kindly takes me to the Plaza. It’s only three blocks away, but the sea of red lights brings the car to a standstill two blocks from the hotel.
We pass time by talking about the city, the weather, and when I’m all out of small talk, Aston gets a work call. Unlike the ones I’ve heard him on previously, he isn’t arguing and ends the call rather quickly. The driver pulls up at the Plaza.
“I’ll be waiting right here,” Aston informs me.
“You mean you don’t want to come up and watch me shower, then get changed?” I tease.
Aston cocks his head. “Always playing with fire, Miss Woods.”
With the clock ticking, I rush to my suite to be greeted by a team of professionals. I have only five minutes to shower before they work on my hair and makeup. Since I had no idea this is how I would spend the night, I run on adrenaline trying to get everything done in time.
We opt for simple makeup, nothing overdone, with my hair pinned half up. The satin dress is off-the-shoulder with a sultry split thigh. The color is a beautiful sage green, matching the jewelry the stylist arranged for me to wear.
I feel like a million dollars.
And according to the stylist, the necklace around my neck is worth a million dollars, so I need to be careful tonight and watch the people around me. The pendant hanging from the necklace reminds me of the color of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.
With five minutes to spare, I make my way down to the lobby, where Aston is waiting for me. My heart starts beating incredibly fast when his eyes land on me.
And then I make the connection.
The necklace reminds me of his eyes.
His lips part as I move closer to him, careful not to trip in these sky-high heels.
“You look breathtaking, Everleigh,” he murmurs with soft eyes. His longing stare makes me hold my breath in anticipation, until I’m forced to let it go. Then, he extends his arm. “Shall we?”
I link my arm to his before we walk out of the hotel and toward the car parked at the entrance. Once again, he opens the door politely as I slide in and take a seat.
Unsure of what to say, I sit quietly on the drive to the ball. Aston is just as quiet until he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text. I don’t ask any questions, praying the entire evening won’t be this awkward.
When we reach the venue, paparazzi are scurrying around, snapping pictures of everyone. Aston kindly exits the car first, then reaches out for me to join him.
With all the attention on the car, I begin to worry about any photos leaking and Maddy finding out. The sudden thought makes my stomach churn, so I drop my head, hoping my face isn’t caught and splashed all over the internet.
Somehow, I need to think of a reason I agreed to go tonight without Maddy thinking it was anything more than a favor.
But that’s a later problem, as the event demands all my attention.
The ballroom takes my breath away, unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
Instead of the usual stiff, formal setup, wisteria cascades from the ceiling and strands of fairy lights weave through the branches, casting a soft, enchanting glow over the space.
It feels like stepping into a magical forest, each table nestled amid the greenery, giving the room an intimate, almost otherworldly atmosphere.
The lighting is dim but warm, enough to see the sparkle in people’s eyes and the soft shimmer of the decor, enhancing the fairy-tale-like allure surrounding us.
Aston takes my hand and guides me to our table—the most prestigious one in the room. All eyes turn our way, tracking our every move. I’m not used to the attention, given that the last event I went to was a wedding for a college friend, and of course it was all about the bride and groom.
As we take a seat and get comfortable, Aston introduces me to all the guests seated at the table.
It’s easy to see why everyone has their eyes on our table—the men are hot .
When I say hot , I mean drop-dead gorgeous .
With Aston beside them, I feel like I’ve stepped into some fairy tale where all the men are so sexy, there is bound to be a happily ever after.
Will Romano is Aston’s business associate and friend. He is also the first to glance at Aston with a knowing smirk. A knowing look passes between them, but Aston keeps quiet.
His wife, Amelia, also looks at Aston with a grin. She’s gorgeous, with emerald-green eyes that are almost identical to the man near her, who apparently is her father.
And I’m not one to find older men sexy, but damn—this man is fine.
“Aston has told us nothing about you,” Amelia says, scolding Aston with her dagger eyes. “I’m glad he brought a date.”
Aston is busy talking to Will, so I lean in to correct her. “It’s not a date. We’re just friends. I’m a plus-one. Actually, a last-minute plan since his actual date is sick.”
Amelia shakes her head with a grin. “That’s how it always starts.”
Sitting on Amelia’s other side is her mother, Charlotte. I try not to stare in awe since her mother looks more like a sister. The family genes are strong and she looks a lot like her mother, too.
“Millie,” Charlotte chides. “You’re reading too many romance books.”
I laugh, enjoying their company. “You sound like my best friend, Maddy. She’s Aston’s sister.”
Amelia places her hand on top of mine, her eyes wide as she holds her smile. “Wait a minute. Best friend’s older brother? This will definitely end well.”
“Everleigh, please excuse my daughter.” Charlotte eyes Amelia dubiously. “She doesn’t get out much since the kids were born.”
“Mom!” Amelia shakes her head with pressed lips. “For complete transparency, Dad is Mom’s best friend’s older brother. They’ve now been married for, like, what… a million years?”
“Thirty,” her father intervenes. “And yes, Everleigh, please excuse our daughter. I’m glad you could attend tonight. This charity is important to our family, so the more, the merrier.”
Amelia is chill and nothing at all like a billionaire’s overprivileged daughter.
In saying that, Maddy is nothing like that, either.
I enjoy chatting to Amelia for most of the night as the men leave the table to talk business.
Normally, I would be pissed if my date—but also not date —left me to fend for myself, but it’s fun hanging out with just women sometimes.
Charlotte is just as chill as Amelia. They have a great mother-daughter bond, making me miss my own family. I decide to visit my parents once the wedding is over and maybe take a trip to France to see my brother. It’s been way too long.
“May I have this dance, Miss Woods?” Aston is standing beside me with his hand extended, waiting for me to join him. Since I danced with him at the violin and cello audition, this doesn’t seem like a big deal.
Yeah, but you didn’t have feelings then.
Amelia presses her lips together to hide her smile, but she’s doing an awful job at it. Will leans in and whispers something in her ear, only for her to shake her head as if he said something dirty to her.
The dance floor is full, and since we haven’t been served any food yet, I’m surprised so many people are already dancing. According to Charlotte and Amelia, the charity auction takes place after dinner.
Aston places his hands on my hips as I wrap mine around his neck. We dance to the band playing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The singer has a soft, velvety tone, with his spin on the song giving it a slower vibe than how it’s usually performed.
“I really like Amelia,” I tell him.
He chuckles softly. “If I tell her that, she’ll want to double-date every time she’s in the city.”
Unsure what to say, I continue with the same topic but avoid the whole double-date thing. “And Charlotte and Lex. They seem really chill.”
“Charlotte, yes,” he agrees with a twinkle in his eye. “But Lex, he’s a shark in the boardroom. My father loathes him.”
I try not to roll my eyes. “Your father loathes everyone.”
“That is true. Lex has taught me a lot. If I ever need anything, he’s always been there for me. If only my father could take a page out of his book.”
“I’ve only spoken to him for a few minutes, but I can see that.”
“It’s hard to trust people in our industry…” He trails off, then sighs. “Not everyone plays fair.”
“Well, as long as you do. You can’t control everyone, Aston. Just your own actions,” I remind him softly.
“You make it sound so easy.”
I still my movements, raising my eyes to meet his. “Being a good person is easy.”
Seconds pass as I wait for him to continue dancing. With his hands still around my waist and our bodies almost touching, his gaze pierces into me while I try to read him.
“My life isn’t easy,” he says with reluctance. “There’s a lot of responsibility and pressure on me to perform a certain way. Everything is calculated, nothing is done because it is my choice.”
“That’s not true.” I manage to smile. “It was your choice to bring me here as your plus-one. I’m sure there are plenty of other women you could have asked.”
“Yes… but with you, it feels like I have no choice in the matter. My head tells me all types of things, but my body doesn’t listen.” I wait with bated breath until he murmurs, “The night doesn’t have to end here, Everleigh.”
“We agreed to be friends,” I blurt out.
“ You wanted to be friends.” His soft gaze has turned fiery. “I wasn’t lying when I said you are driving me crazy.”
As I fall prey to his penetrating stare, my lips begin to tremble and the air surrounding us becomes thick and unbreathable.
It’s impossible.
I can no longer resist him.
Aston Beaumont is all I think about.
I move forward, pressing my body against his to whisper in his ear, “How far away is your place?”